By Patrick Mose
The latest report published by Kenya Red Cross that close to two million Kenyans are facing imminent hunger and drought is worrying many people who depend on subsistence agriculture with little surplus
or no surplus to sell.
Up to mid this year, the weather has not been predictable and few farmers can boast that they got bounty returns from their investment in farming.
In some regions where farmers depend on rain fed
agriculture, there was no sufficient rainfall to facilitate yield as anticipated. The crops failed.
But in some regions, farmers have been asking the government to buy maize from them with good purchase price. What an irony!
With tens of counties already affected by ravaging
drought, children have stopped going to school as they
go searching for water and any food items they can get for their families.
Some of them go to school because they know food is available in there, its inadequacy notwithstanding.
This raises the question as to how the government should prioritize food security for its people, say for three seasons to come.
At no time should there be shortage of food for the people and in the market even if it means importing as much cereals as possible so that the deficits are covered.
It is a fact that not much of Kenyan land is arable. It should be worthy to recognize that many households in the country basically depend on getting their food from the market.
No matter the economic model that is used, Kenyans are only interested in a system that will produce results for them, get subsidized farm inputs and have ready stock in the cereals stores.
In places where there is inadequate rainfall but the land is arable, the government should invest in irrigation and above all, get the right seeds for planting to maximize on production.
The national assembly, county assemblies and the senate should take these food inadequacies serious and look for adequate solutions for this problem and solve it once and for all.
Since Parliament allocates resources to departments and any spenders on public money, must go beyond over sighting and be creative in legislating so that they see the gaps through the departmental committees of Agriculture, Investment, and Finance and any other that is mandated to handle matters food security.
No single leader will be happy and willing to represent hungry people.
Any leader who seeks the people’s mandate should always take time to understand the food needs, production potential and the people’s capabilities to invest in income generating activities so that they
can access food and save some for the future.
If things do not improve, Kenya may face a worsening food situation.
Considering that regions like Kilifi have already recorded mass crop failure, there will be need for the leadership to step up their efforts in providing food items for the people now and not when the situation will have gotten out of hand.
Time and again starvation finds the country off guard and emergency plans are drawn to counter it.
It is necessary to invest in agricultural research with technology so that crops that can sustain dry seasons are cultivated with bias to those that take a short time to mature and be harvest.
For example, a recently modified cassava crop by Kenya
Agricultural Research Institute with an intention to reduce over-reliance on maize can do better in dry areas hence cutting the effects of crop failure due to drought.
Such should be the good news that both the national and county governments can invest in.
A week ago, the ministry of Devolution and Arid and Semi-Arid Lands announced that it requires close to Sh10 billion to mitigate the effects of the drought and that this time round, in support to the hunger-stricken regions, the government will opt to do cash transfers
to the people who will be in dire need of food.
To that effect, there are many mind-boggling questions that come up like how much food is in store so that these people, once they receive money, can go and purchase to their fill or at least equal to the amount of money they have received and for how long will it
sustain them?
There is need to map out regions that are often affected and threatened by drought so that quick interventions are mapped out for them.
But to solve this over time, it is necessary to invest in Agri-technology and encourage farmers to plant alternative crops like potatoes which tend to do well over the seasons.
The drought situation may look simple in the eyes of the planners but too complicated to those affected. There is need for long term solutions.
The writer is an ICT lecturer and an aspiring Member of County Assembly for Nyamaiya Ward, Nyamira County.
